Moscow - (AFP) - A Russian diplomat confirmed Saturday that Moscow and Washington are discussing a possible exchange of detainees, including a Russian arms dealer held in the United States and an American basketball player held in Russia.

The United States has announced several times that it has made a "serious proposal" to Russia to release American women's basketball star Brittney Grainer and former American soldier Paul Whelan.

And US media reported that the matter is related to the exchange of Brittney Grainer and Paul Whelan for Victor Bot, dubbed "Death Dealer".

Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States. His unusual biography inspired the 2005 gun-running film "Lord of War," starring Nicolas Cage.

"Discussions on the highly sensitive issue of (prisoner exchange) are taking place through channels chosen by our superiors," said Alexander Darchev, director of the North America department at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

He added in an interview published by the Russian news agency (Tass) on Saturday that the names reported by the American media "are already being considered. Russia has been seeking the release of Viktor Bout for a long time."

He made it clear that "'quiet diplomacy' continues and must bear fruit if Washington (...) is keen, of course, to avoid being drawn into propaganda."

This is the first time that Moscow has confirmed that discussions are underway for a possible exchange involving a bot.

The Kremlin has long criticized Washington for making public statements about the ongoing negotiations.

These negotiations accelerated after Grainer was sentenced to nine years in prison in early August for drug trafficking.

The Phoenix Mercury player, who is considered one of the best basketball players in the world, was arrested in February in Moscow before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in possession of electronic cigarette packages containing liquid from Indian cannabis, and she fell victim to the geopolitical crisis that arose between the United States and Russia.